Musical instrument.



No. 811,912. PATENTED FEB." 6, 1906.

W. B. FLEMING. v MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED MARJG, 1905.

4 SKBETS-SHEET 1.

No. 811,912. PATENTED FEB 6, 1906.

W. B. FLEMING. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.15, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

*ffffilf" jnverizfar Dii'lamuz .110. 811,912. I 'PATENTED FEB. 6, I906.

W. B. FLEMING. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 15, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 31 Q 115E Phi/lag aflwrizaw PATENTED' FEB. 6, 1906.

V Y W. B. FLEMING. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR..15, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATENT oFFIcE. WILLIAM B..FLEMIN(;, OF SOUTH PASADENA, CALIFORNIA.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. c', 1906.

To all whom it rrmyy concern:

a citizen of the United States, residing at South Pasadena, inthe county of Los Ange. les and State of California, have invented new.

and useful Improvements in Musical lnstruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mechanical sical instruments in which perforated sheets of paper are used in. combination with a se ries of air ducts or passages leading ,to musical reeds, pipes, or other sounding devices or to mechanism for operating the sounding devices which are caused to sound by the exhaustion or )ressure of air or by electrical contacts in t. e well-known manner; and the object thereof is to produce mechanism to cause two or more .perforated music-sheets each operating a separate and independent musical instrument to-run synchronously, whereby all the musical instruments will play together inunison. I accomplish'this object by the mechanism described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view, partly in plan and partly diagramn'iat-ic, of the regulating mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partly in section,

of the motors which drive the music-sheets. F g. 3 is asection on line 3 3 of Fig. 2 looking in. the direction indicated by the arrows.'

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction indicated b the arrows, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the regulating-box. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section onithe line 6 6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7' is a crossseetion on the line 7 7 of Fig. 6 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows. Fig. 8 is a horizontal section on the line 8 8 of Fig.6 looking li'nvard the base. Fig. 9 is a detail section taken on line 9 9 of Fig. 6. Figs. 10, ll and 12 are details of the disk mechanism. Fig. 13 is a side elevation. of the brake mechanism. Fig. 14 is a diagrammatic view of my improved music-sheet.

In the drawings, 20 and 21 are independent perforated music-sheets, each of which 0 erates a separate and independent music-a in' strument in the usual well-known manner. Sheet. 20 travels over tracker-board 22, and sheet 21 travelsover tracker-board 23'. Sheet 2| is driven by a motor 24, motion being impart-ed thereto by means of sprocket-chain J3; Music-sheet 20 is driven b motor 26, inorion being imparted thereto iy means of s' rocket-chain 27. In the drawings I have motors; but electric or other mechanical mo.-

tors may be used for imparting motion to drive the music-rolls. The driving-shaft 28 of motor 24'and the driving-shaft 29 of motor 26 are in line, and on the contiguous' ends of' said shafts are friction-disks which engage mueach other, one member 30 of which is secured upon shaft 28, and the other member 31 is secured upon shaft 29. These disks are designed to stai't in motion either one of said brake is released, as hereina ter explained.

large pipe-organs and have illustrated the mechanism used therefor and will describe the same herein as applied for that purpose. I have found in practice that threepalrs of pneumatics 33, arranged as shown in Fig 1 and connected by links 34 to cranks 35 of the driving-shaft of the motors, produce satisfactory results. The cranks on the driving-j. shafts are set at different angles, so as to revent dead-centers and so thatthere wil be at least one pneumatic in active operation at all times when it is desired to have the driving shaft revolved. Pitman rods 36 are connected to cranks 35 and to slide-valves 37. These slide valves control channels which lead into the niotor-pncumatics. Channel 38 leading to the rear pneumatic and channel 39 leading to the front pneumatic. Slide-valve 37 is in shape a shallow fiat box with the 0 en side resting upon a valve-seat 40, througii which channels 38 and 39 pass.

, There is one slide-valve'for each air of pneumatics in the motors, and a shortc annel 41 connects the interior of each slide-valve with a suction-channel, of which there is one for each motor, as shown in dotted lines in valve-chamber 45, and channel 42 is connected by a like port 41 with said valve-chamber. Port 44 is controlled by valve 43 on stem 47, which stem is .carried by pneumatic 48. Channel 42 is connected to the outside atmosphere by ports. 49, which ports are controlled by valve 50, carried by stem 47. Channel 42 is provided with'ports'connecting side atmosphere-which are controlled by valves of similar construction to those illustrated in Fig. 4 as appl ing to channel 43,

i ustrated these motors'as being pneumatic which valves are earned y a stem .51, Fig. 1,

shafts when-it has been sto ped after the I have used my device practically-in playing 1 Fig. 2,which channels are numbered 42 and 43. Channel 43 is connected by a port 44 with the it with valve-chamber 45 and with the outwhich is carried by pneumatic 52, the con Struction and location beinga duplicate of that shown in Fig. 4. Valve-chamber is connected by pipe 53 to the suction box, (not 5 shown,) there being passages connecting said chamber and pipe. A gate 53, controlled in any suitable manner ma be operated to regulate the airadmitted to t e motors. A channel 54 opens into pneumatic 48. a This channel is I connected by tube 55 to chamber 56 in the casing of the re lating-box. Chamber 56 is connected by c annel57 with valve-chamber 58,

in the top of which is aport 59, which connects said chamber-with the 0 en air, and a 15 port 60 in the bottom thereof, w 'ch connects said chamber with suction-box, 61. These ports are respectively controlled by valves 62 and 63, which are carried by stem 64, which ,stem is secured to pneumatic 65' in 2 the suction-box 61. Pneumatic 65 is pro- -vided with a channel 66, at the outer end of which is a chamber 66, having ports 67, which connect saidchamber with the open air, and ports 68, which connectsaid cham; 5 her with. the suction-box 61-. These ports are respectively controlled by valves 69 and 70, carried by stem 71, which stem is secured to pneumatic 72 and carried thereby. A'

channel 73 opens into pneumatic72 and is '30 connected by pipe 74 with duct .75 of the tracker-board 22. Duct 76 of tracker-board, 22 is connected bytube 77 with pneumatic I36; Valve-chamber 78 (shown. in dotted linesin Fig. 6) is connected byport 79 with the 3 5 outside atmosphere and by port 80 with the suction-box. These ports are respectivelycontrolled by valves 81 and 82, carried by stem 83, which stem is supported and carried by arms 84 and 85-, which arms are carried 4 by pneumatics 86 and 87, which pneumatics are in the suction-box. A 8 ring 88 bears upon the top of stem 83 an has a tension greater than the power of either one of said neumatics 86 or 87,'butless than the-comined power of both. Valve-chamber 78 is connected by channel. 89 (shown in dotted lines'in Fig. 6) with'p'neumatic. 90, which pneumatic carries an arm 91,- through which arm passes stems 64 and '114, which carry 50 buttons 92 and 92' just below said arm, which buttons are adapted to be engaged by the arm when the pneumatic is collaps'edand to cause the collapsing of neumatics 65 and 115 in case the same shou d be expanded, as

.55 hereinafter ex lained. Chamber 56' is connected by tu e 93 with pneumatic 112. Pneumatic 94 is connected by rod 95 to brake-lever 96, which Ieveris ivoted at 97 and engages disk 98, mounte on shaft 99,

60 which last. shaft drives the take-up roll of sheet 21 in the usual manner. A brake-bar 100 is connected to brake-bar 96 by rod 101.

When pneumatic 94 is in its expanded posi-. tion, as shown in Figs. 1 and 13, these brake- 65 bars'do not engage disk 98; but when the pneumatic is collapsed, as hereinafter ex plained, said bars engage said disk to instantly stop the movement of said shaft.

The-disk 30, which is secured to shaft 28,

4 the details of which are best shown in Fig. 12,

projects over disk 31 a short distance and has secured thereto a ring of leather 102 to make the same noiseless. A washer 103 surrounds the hub of disk 31, which member is secured to shaft 29. Between the washer and disk 31 is a ring of leather 104. This washer is held in place by pins 105 and-106, which pins also ass through disk 30, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 12 and through springs 107 and 108, being held by cotter pins. These springs have a tension sufficiently strong to.

hold the members of the clutch to start and run either shaft after it has been stopped and the brake on the take-up roll is released.

A channel similar to channel 54 opens into pneumatic 52 and is connected by tube 109 with chamber 110, Fig. 9, in the casing of the regulator-box. This chamber is connected by tube .1 11 with pneumatic 94.

Pneumatic 112 operates a brake mechanism for music-sheet 20 similar in construction and operation to the brake mechanism before described for music-sheet 21. Channel 113 (shown in Fig. 9) leads from chamber to a chambersimilar to valve-chamber 58, which contains valves and has ports similar in construction to those described as pertaining to valve-chamber 58. The valvestem 114 of these last valves is carried and operated by apneumatic 115 in the suctionbox 61 which neumatic is provided with a channel 116, w ich ends in a chamber 117 having ports 118 and 119, which ports are governed by valves 120 and 121 on' stem 122,

which stem is carried and operated by pneumatic 123; Pneumatic 123 is connected by channel 124 and tube 125 with duct 126 of trackerboard 23. Duct 127 of trackerboard 23 is connected by tube 128 to a channel which endsin pneumatic 145. Pneumatic 86 has leading therefrom a channel 129, which'ends in chamber 130, having ports I31. and -132,-which ports are controlled by valves 133 and 134 on the stem 135, which stemis carried by pneumatic 136. ,Pneumatic 87 has leading therefrom a channel 138, which ends in a chamber 139, having ports and 141, which ports are controlled 'y valves 142 and 143 on stem 144, which stem is carried by pneumatic 145.

v In the operation of my device the musicrolls 20 and- 21 are aced in position in the usual manner, andt he outer ends therof are secured to the take-up rolls 146 in the usual manner. Suction is applied through tube 53 by means of a bellows, (not shown,) thereby causing the. operation of the motor-pneumatics with the same speed and same power which would cause the. travel of. the music sheets at the same rate of speed if they were exactly alike in size and wound in the same thereof, the right-hand row being shorter than the left-hand'row. The longer perforations project beyond both extremities of the shorter perforations asuflicient distance so that' when a sheet is sto ped it will be started again by the time tl fe short perforation in the traveling sheet registers'with its appropriate duct and to prevent any action by the pneumatics controlled thereby when the shorter perforations are travehn together and reach their appropriate 'ucts. Should one of the music-sheets travel faster than the other, its movement will be stopped as soon as a short perforation of such ad'- vanced sheet reaches re ister with its proper duct, and it will be he d stopped until the other music-sheet catches up, which is accomplished in the following manner: Say that it is sheet 20 that-is travelin faster than sheet 21. As soon as along pe oration 150 registers with duct 76 air is admitted to pneue matic 136, which permits it to expand, there by causin valve 134 to close ports 132 andraising va ve 133 to open ports 131 which throws pneumatic 86 in communication with the outside air, and the suction of the box 61 would cause said pneumatic to expand, but that the power of spring 88 is such that the pneumatic is held against expansion. As

' soon as the short perforation 151 reaches register with duct 75, which occurs in an infinitesnnal period of time, pneumatic -7 2 is 4o opened to exterior air and expands, thereby carrying valve 69 to open ports 67 and valve 70 to close ports 68,- which opens pneumatic 65 to the outside air, and said pneumatic then expands by reason of the suctlon in such A port and valve 62 to close port 59, thereby ters-with duct 127 pneumatic 145 expands,

thereby causing valve 143 to close ports- 141 and valve 142 toopen ports 140, which throws pneumatic S7 in communication with the outside air, and the suction of box 61 exerted thereon, together with the suction before exerted on pneumatic 136, overcomes the power This action carries valve 63 to open of spring 88, and both pneumatics expand, thereby throwing pneumatic 90 into suction, which causes it to collapse, thereby through connecting mechanism causing pneumatic to collapse and returning valve 63 to close shown) within pneumatic 48 expands said neumatlc and restores the communication etween the pneumatic of motor 26 and the suction which operates the same, whereupon said pneumatics be in to operate and drive sheet 20. Should s eet 21 be the advanced sheet, it will be stopped and started in the similar manner. At the same time that pneumatic 48 ispu't in communication with the. open-air brake pneumatic 94 is also put into communication with the open air, and a spring (notshown) causes the pneumatic to expand and release the brake-bars contacting with disk 98. As soon as the brake on disk 98 is released the frictional-engagement between the members of the clutch will cause the rotation of shaft 28 of motor 24 but said frictional engagement between said members isnot'sufficient to overcome the power of the brake on disk 98.

Pneumatics 72, 123, 136, and 145 are primary pneumatics, and pneumatics 65, 115, 86, and 87 are secondary pneumatics. Ifdesired, the-primary pneumatics could be omitted and the air admitted to the secondary pneumatics by the same means as described or the primary pneumatics, but the action would not be as quick, and hence I prefer to use the primary pneumatics.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is v 1. In'a musical instrument in comb1nat1on,

two independently-traveling and inde end ently-driven music-sheets, each provide with perforations at one side thereof arranged-in pairs consistin of a long and a short perforation; indepen ent motors for driving said sheets; means to supply power for driving said motors; means to cut off said power-sup- .ply for each sheet whenever it travels faster than its companion sheet, said means being actuated throught'he said short perforations,

each sheet controlling its own cut-01f mechanism; and means to restore said p.ower-supply to either of said motors when the slower traveling sheet catches up with the advance sheet,'sa1d means being actuated through the long perforations of both sheets. I

2. n a musical instrument in combination, two independentl -,travelin each provided wit erforations arranged in pairs consisting of a ong and ashort perforation; a take-up roll for each of said sheets; an

independent motor for driving each of said take-up rolls; a brake for each take-up roll; means to supply power'for drivingsald mo- 1 port 60 and valve 62 to open port 59 and restoring communication between chamber 58 and the outer air, whereupon a spring (not,

music-sheets,

tors; means to cut off said power-supply for each sheet whenever it travels faster than its companion sheet, said means beingactu-ated through the said short perforations, each sheet controlling its oWn cut-off mechanism; and means to restore said power-supply to either of said motors when the slower-traveling sheet catches up with the advance sheet, said means being actuated through the long perforations of both sheets.

3. In a musical instrument in combination,-

a perforated music-sheet provided with perforations arranged in pairs consisting of a long and a short perforation, each long perforation being arranged to project beyond both extremities of the short perforation; a take-up roll for said music-sheet; a motor for driving said take;up roll; a brake for said take-up roll; and pneumaticall -actuated mechanism arranged to control sai motor and said brake.

4. In combination two perforated musicsheets, each provided with perforations at.

one side thereof arranged in pairs consisting of a long and a short perforatlon; two shafts on which said sheets are mounted, one sheet on each shaft; independent motors for driv-' perforations of both sheets.

and means to restore said power-supply to either of said motors when the slower-travelmg sheet catches up With'the advance sheet,

said means being actuated through the long v In a musical instrument a plurality of perforated music-sheets, each provided with perforations at one side thereof arranged in pairs consisting of a long and a short perforation; take-up rolls mounted onvshafts, one for each sheet, said take-up'rolls being provided with means for .securing said music-sheets thereto; motors composed of a plurality of oppositely-disposed pneumatics, one motor for each take up roll; crank-shafts operativel connected to'said pneumatics, one 'for each motor; means to alternately connect the members of'each pair of pneumatics of said motors to suction; means to connect the shaft driven by said motors with the take-up rolls of the music-sheet; means governed by the short perforations at the edges of the musicsheets to cut off the power which drives the motors whereby the travel of the music-sheets is stopped, each sheet controlling its own stoppage mechanism; andmeans to restore the power to the stopped motor, said means being controlled bythe long perforations of both sheetsj In witness that I claim the fore oing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 4th day of March, 1905.

WILLIAM B. FLEMING.

Witnesses I G. E. HARPHAM, EDMUND A. STRAUSE. 

